


A Day at the Beach

by Burgie



Series: Katja Joins Team Good AU [53]
Category: Star Stable Online
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-07
Updated: 2016-10-07
Packaged: 2018-08-20 00:01:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,043
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8229257
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Burgie/pseuds/Burgie
Summary: Mandy shows Walter just how much she loves him.





	

Walter supposed that it was nice that he could always pick his girlfriend out of a crowd. Then again, not a lot of people had hair in that exact shade of platinum blonde. Or a body that perfect.

“Hey,” said Walter, standing over where she lay on a towel under a beach umbrella. Mandy took off her pink sunglasses and grinned up at him.

“Hey, Walter!” she said, still grinning. “What are you doing here?”

“Well, I heard that there was a beautiful blonde girl on the beach at Fort Pinta and I thought I’d come check it out,” said Walter. Mandy beamed at him and sat up, then stood so she could kiss him.

“I wanted to get some sun,” said Mandy. “And I haven’t been to the beach in ages, the little beaches at home just aren’t the same.” Her body was warm from the sun, though goosebumps prickled her skin as Walter’s fingers stroked the tanned skin on her back.

“And you went alone?” asked Walter, looking around.

“No, mum came with me,” said Mandy. Walter followed her glance out to the swimming area and saw a white-finned siren tail breach the water. He gulped at the thought of her watching him. He knew how protective Mandy’s siren mother was. Mandy laughed at his fear. “Don’t worry, she won’t hurt you.”

“I guess,” said Walter, looking back at her. Specifically, down at her body. “That’s a really nice bikini.” It was strapless, with black and pink ruffles, and she filled out the top quite nicely. Walter definitely wasn’t ashamed to admit that.

“Thanks,” said Mandy, grinning again even as she fiddled with the ruffles of the top. “It’s good to have a family friend in the fashion industry.” Even if said family friend was her mama’s ex and had apparently caused quite a bit of trouble before Mandy was born. But Anne was cool, if a little strange and odd-looking.

“I bet it is,” said Walter. Mandy smiled gently at him, then played with a strand of her hair.

“I have something I want to give you,” said Mandy. “Come with me.”

“Mandy.” Mandy groaned and turned to face her mother, who had surfaced and was leaning on the little footbridge.

“Mum, I’m not going to give him that, I’ve already given it to him anyway,” said Mandy, and Walter blushed. There was an entire swimming area between them, and they were being watched by everyone.

“Mandy,” Katja said warningly, and Mandy growled and then hummed the spell that would protect her from pregnancy. Then, she glared at her mother and took Walter’s hand.

“She does have a point, last time you said we wouldn’t have sex, we did,” said Walter.

“Yeah I know, but it’s still annoying,” said Mandy with a little shrug. She led him to a little area on the other side of the swimming area, one shaded by trees and a large rock. Now, she looked a little nervous.

“What are you doing?” asked Walter. In answer, Mandy hummed and a shape materialised in her hands, folded over her arms. It looked like a coat or a strange, leathery piece of fabric.

“Here,” said Mandy, holding it out to him. She trembled, and Walter finally realised what it was. It was her seal skin, the thing that tied her to the ocean. It was as much a part of her as her real skin, or her soul. Her heart. “I want you to… hold it. Please, before I lose my nerve.” She laughed nervously, and Walter held his arms out. Mandy took in a deep breath, then put the skin into his arms.

As soon as he was holding it, Mandy wanted to take it back. Her heart pounded and her breathing quickened, but she forced herself to stand still and not lunge at him to take her skin back. Walter wouldn’t hurt her. He’d proven that, again and again. He was the kindest, gentlest person she knew. But a lifelong fear was hard to shake.

Walter could see his girlfriend’s fear, so he held the skin gently. It was smooth and cool and damp in his arms, but it felt like more than just an animal pelt. He could feel life in it, and it oddly felt like his girlfriend. It smelled like the ocean, too, and like Mandy. He knew that this was more intimate than anything else they’d done, more meaningful than a proposal. She didn’t trust anyone this much except for herself and her parents, only they were allowed to hold her skin. She didn’t even let her godfather hold it, but that had more to do with his status as a druid.

A sudden sound drew Walter’s attention, and he handed the skin back to Mandy when he caught sight of her mother watching them. A low growl emitted from the siren’s throat as she bared her teeth at Walter. She couldn’t get out of the water in this form, but her tail lashed in the water.

“It’s okay, mum, I gave it to him,” said Mandy, looking a lot better now that she was holding her skin again. She hummed and the seal skin disappeared.

“Why?” asked Katja, not taking her eyes off Walter.

“Because I love him, mum,” said Mandy. Then she turned to Walter. “I wanted to show you just how much.”

“Wow,” said Walter. It was all he could say, after hearing that.

“When I was younger, I read a lot of stories about humans stealing a selkie’s skin and burning it or hiding it to trap her on land,” said Mandy. “And I was so scared that would happen to me. That’s why I was so weird at first.”

“And now?” asked Walter.

“Now I know for sure that you won’t hurt me,” said Mandy. “What I just did was me testing you. I love you so much but I still wasn’t completely sure. But you passed my test.” She grinned and blinked teary eyes.

“I could never hurt you, I love you too much to do that,” said Walter. He pulled Mandy into his arms and kissed her. She kissed him back, holding him tightly against her. She knew that he was telling the truth.


End file.
